


Wake me Up

by ApaolalLV



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), lauriver - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Fix-It, Not for fans of John Diggle or Felicity Smoak, Not for fans of the ship, Oliver Deserves Happiness, Oliver chooses to better his life, Oliver is tired of his life the way it is, Oliver loves Laurel, One Shot, Reality check, lauriver - Freeform, past olicity, rewrite of season 6
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 23:40:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28715154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ApaolalLV/pseuds/ApaolalLV
Summary: Oliver comes to the realization that he's been asleep this entire time when Thea gives him a reality check of the past 5 years, which forces him to look back at his life, tired ad angry at the reality he chooses to fix things, starting by getting back those he pushed away.  Getting a special someone back is all he wants now.
Relationships: Laurel Lance & Sara Lance, Laurel Lance/Oliver Queen, Oliver Queen & Thea Queen, Sara Lance & Oliver Queen
Comments: 6
Kudos: 14





	Wake me Up

**Author's Note:**

> I was rewatching season 1 of Arrow and I noticed how different Oliver was, he had an actual personality and was an interesting character back them, it actually seemed as if they were building up Lauriver nicely and then they threw it all away, I also came to the conclusion that there are people responsible for the change in Oliver's personality and in his life and they need to be confronted about that, starting with John Diggle and Felicity Smoak, (I haven't always liked these characters especially for that) so this is a one shot of Oliver realising that and going back to who he used to be.

Oliver found himself sitting in the couch looking down at his hands and thinking about his entire life once again. It became a daily routine now. Where he would go sit and wonder when did it all go to crap.

It had been about 5 months since Adrian Chase had blown up the island he had been stranded in, 5 months since Samantha had died and he took William with him.

These 5 months had been the worst though, not much happened, and that’s what worried him, that not much happened. That his life simply had become dull. It was all the same, wake up, have a talk with William, feel bad for himself for not being a good father, eat, go to the mayor’s office, stay there the whole day then get into his Green Arrow suite and beat up criminals.

He smiled every so often, sometimes Felicity made him laugh, sometimes his team made him laugh, but at the end of the day, he would always end up sitting in his couch wishing things were different. Wishing his life wasn’t so boring.

He soon came to find out that he was in survival mode, living day by day, not thinking about the future, not really having a purpose, feeling lonely, feeling sorry for himself.

It wasn’t the first time that happened to him though, ever since he came from the island, that cycle repeated itself, him entering survival mode. Him being depressed, him brooding.

Theres a problem when things repeat themselves too much. It eventually gets exhausting. And it finally did, he was tired of being like that. Being so sad all the time, barely smiling, barely laughing.

Living life like that was not living at all.

And based on everything he had survived, on everything he had lived, if there is one thing he knew, is that he wanted to live. He wanted to laugh. And have fun.

He shook his head at the thought taking a deep breath, filling himself up with determination. Just in time for Thea to walk in, Thea had also observed him repeating this pattern, she called it brooding hour. Where he’d sit in silence and feel sorry for himself.

“Ollie” Oliver raised his head to look at her and gave her half a smile.

“Im tired” his frown indicated her she needed to explain herself. “Yep, Im tired of you being like this, Im tired of seeing you suffer and I am so tired of giving you pep talks every day”

Every time she saw him like that she would go and tell him why things weren’t his fault. She would always tell him not to be too hard on himself. But apparently, things went in one ear and out the other. 

“I know” Oliver gave her a nod and looked at her. “I know Speedy, I am tired too”

“You are?” She questioned taking a seat besides him.

“I am just so tired of my life being like this, I mean I get it comes with the job, this life, but does it have to be this way?” His teary eyes were fixed on hers.

“Thats what you’ve been telling yourself? That this life comes with the job?” Oliver simply gave her a shameful nod noticing that she found that to be ridiculous.

“Then you're dumber than I thought, Oliver, nothing, can ever determine what someone’s life is going to be like, nothing other than yourself. You choose what life to have, and you choose how to live it. This life that you have, is not like that because it comes with the job, it comes because you chose for it to be that way”

Thea knew she was probably being too hard on him, but after being so gentle with him, maybe all he needed was to listen to the truth, even if it came the hard way.

“Look Im sorry, I know you’re probably going to be mad at me for this, but that’s fine. Oliver, you are the one that lets other people step on you, because you think you deserve everything that’s bad, so whenever someone wants to make you feel like shit, you let them, whether it is Felicity calling you out on your flaws, or Adrian Chase trying to ruin your life, you choose to let them and you even choose to listen to them, you let them get into your head and you let them beat you, bring you down, when will you stand up for yourself?”

“But… most of the time they’re right”

“Another bullshit!” Thea exclaimed standing up. “Oliver, you are not responsible for everything in this world. Adrian Chase made you believe that all of us suffer because of you, but that couldn’t be further from the truth! We all make our own choices and we all lead our own lives, if someone is displeased by you being part of it then trust me, they would get away. If we are on your life then its because we want to, and if we suffer, then its nobody’s fault but ours”

Oliver breathed deeply, Thea did have a point.

“I wish it were that simple though” Oliver sighed, Thea rolled her eyes seeing how he went back to brooding mode.

“You know what your problem is? That you are not living YOUR OWN LIFE! You are not focusing on yourself, you are focusing on what others tell you and what others make you believe, and Im sorry for telling you this, but its something that Ive wanted to tell you for years, that this man, this man that Im seeing before me, is NOT Oliver Queen, this man is NOT my brother, this man is a product of the people around him, you are who you are based on what others made you”

“Aren’t we all a product of the people around us Thea?”

“no. I refuse to believe that, as humans, we have desires, we have dreams, we have likings and passions and things that come from within, things that make us who we are, of course we are always influenced by people around us, but if you are like this, if you are someone you don’t like,then Im sorry, but maybe the people around you aren’t the best ones for you”

Oliver stood looking at Thea with his mouth opened. Speechless.

“Do you want me to be honest with you?” Thea raised her eyebrows. “Isn’t that what you’ve been doing?” Oliver asked with a bit of fear in his voice.

“Yes but Ill be more honest, the more time you spend with this team of yours, the more you lose yourself, the more you lose who you are, because if you ask me, you are more John and Felicity than what you are Oliver Queen, and Im not saying they’re bad people, I love them, but you are not supposed to be them”

If Oliver was speechless before, he was not mute. Impressed by her words, they were harsh and they were offensive, but they were also true.

“What? Aren’t you going to answer?” Thea shrugged. Feeling way better now that she told him the truth.

“Yes”

“What?” She crossed her arms over her chest, expecting a denial and a refusal.

“That Im gonna need your help then” her brows furrowed and she leaned in closer to him.

Oliver laughed at her shocked expression. “Thea, I need you to help me, to go back to myself, to make a change, because I believe change comes when you’re tired of your own bullshit, and I am tired, so please”

Her eyes widened with joy and amusement.

“I need you to help me… wake up”

Thea had to bite back her excitement and control the massive wave of joy rising in her chest. She shut her eyes thanking every God out there, knowing this was a step, him wanting to change, him wanting to change and knowing the truth, this… this was were change would begin.

“Now that… I can do” she smiled at him, Oliver had to admit there was an uneasy feeling at his chest, he was putting hi life on his sitar’s hands, but she seemed to be thinking clearly, and he clearly wasn’t, so maybe, maybe she could help him.

“Great, what do I do first?” He asked standing up, Thea scoffed and chuckled.

“What?” Oliver asked noticing her laugh.

“Im not gonna tell you what to do, Oliver the whole point of this is that you start making your own choices, that you decided things for your life”

Oliver bit his lip looking nervous while Thea patted his shoulder. “All I want you to do now is to observe and analyze, meaning, whoever you’re with, observe what they are to you, what they do with you and how they affect you, and analyze, if you like that, or if you don’t”

…

The first person Oliver saw after his talk with Thea was Felicity, he observed how she talked to him and what she made him feel. The first thing he noticed was how smiley she was, always speaking with a good mood and trying to make him laugh.

He actually like that, her smile was infectious and he couldn’t help but smile with her. That was good… right?

Then it occurred to him, as she tried to make him dance to a song, that she was practically telling him what to do, meaning, he didn’t smile or laugh or danced on his own, the only reason he did it, was because Felicity was the one making him do it.

Which made him question, when he was with her, was he really happy? Or was he happy because she was happy?

It was a tricky question really, happiness is a complicated thing. Felicity seemed to have lots of it, she seemed to be happy, she really was a light, a ray of sunshine. He needed that light.

“Where were you last night? I missed you in bed” Felicity snapped him out of his thoughts when she noticed he was out of it, Oliver cleared his throat and leaned against the counter of his kitchen.

“I was talking with Thea”

“About?”

“About… you know, my darkness” he admitted openly and that surprised Felicity, he wasn’t one for sharing. “How I was doomed with it”

“Maybe, but then it's a good thing you’re with me” Felicity made her way towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck, Oliver half smiled while she gave him a peck in the lips.

“And why is that?” He asked looking down at her blue eyes.

“because… Ill always be that light to guide you out of it”

Oliver knew she said that out of love, but he kind of hated her saying that. She was right, she was his light, always guiding him out of said darkness. He gave her another smile and allowed her to continue her duties in the kitchen.

He pondered while she pretended to cook. What did he know so far then? That felicity infected herself in him, meaning, if she smiled, he smiled, if she laughed, he laughed, and if she loved him, he loved her, apparently everything she did, he did too.

Was he really that dependant on her? It concerned him really, but it was true. Maybe that’s why he didn’t feel like himself, he wasn’t his true self with her, he was someone she made him, and that someone was a great person, but for some reason, he didn’t like being him. It felt somewhat… wrong.

His mind drifted off once again and he saw sure she was calling his name, but it dawned on him how little control he had of his life, Felicity kept making decisions for him, when had he allowed others to take control of his life.

He loved her and he knew that, but did he want her? All this time, others had convinced him she was the one for him, John was particularly insistent about it, always telling him he should get with her, had he even decided for himself that he wanted her?

“Oliver?” Felicity was right in front of him now, with a big frown.

Oliver almost choked at the realization, Felicity’s hands on his bicep caught his attention.

“Are you okay?” She questioned, Oliver bit his lip and shook his head slightly.

“Felicity, who am I?” Her frown deepened and she stared at him in confusion. Oliver looked dead serious staring at her. “If you were asked to describe me, what would you say?”

Felicity let out a chuckle, “well, I’d say you’re, a hero” she began and rubbed his hand. “A strong person. Selfless. Caring. Protective. Y-yeah, a hero” she said sure of herself. Oliver couldn’t argue on the fact that those were good adjectives, but they weren’t what he was looking for.

“I don’t think that’s me” he removed Felicity’s hand from his and took a deep breath before daring to look at her eyes.

“Are we really getting into this again?”

“No this isn’t me looking for reassurance, this is me, figuring out, who I am” Oliver bowed his head and searched for the words.

“Oliver, this is who you are”

When his eyes rose she saw them fill with tears. “But it's not Felicity, this, this is who you made me, who you want me to be.”

“Oliver, of course I want you to be a hero, but I don’t think I made you like this”

“That’s not what I meant, what I meant was that, those adjectives, they describe billions of people in the world, they are not the ones people who knew the real me would use, and they aren’t bad ones, but they're the obvious ones, and that’s what I am afraid of, I am afraid, that I have turned myself into just that, and Im afraid, in none of those adjectives, did you describe the real me, not specifically”

“And what is the real you?” She asked with a knot in her throat, Oliver sighed and gave her a sad smile.

“Felicity, I love you, I really truly do, you saved me, you literally saved me from becoming a monster, and that’s because I put that burden on you, which means that there came a time when I thought you were always right, and that, if I followed everything you said, Id be better, and it worked, trust me it worked, those few months we had in Ivy Town were great, and I felt myself being a good person, but Im afraid, that person is a product of your influence, and Im afraid, that person, even though it felt good at first, is not who I want to be, and you’re right, you are my light, you lit up my world, but Felicity, all I want is to become the man that I know I am and the man that I choose to be, and I also know that that man, that man doesn’t need others telling him what to do, that man doesn’t need a light, why, why would I want your light when I can have my own?”

Felicity felt her tears drop from her eyes, holding on to the hope that he was just having a breakdown. “What are you trying to say?”

“That… for the past years, I have lived a life you chose for me, and it was necessary, for me to become better, but I am afraid that… that you fixed me, temporarily, and that… if I really want to be genuinely fixed, the only way to do that then is on my own”

“Oliver if you’re”

“Im saying… that I love you and that I thank you, and that Im sorry, but I no longer need you, and in order to be my true self, I have to let you go”

Felicity felt that very similar ache in her chest, it was like a kick in the gut, a punch to the face.

_I no longer need you._

“What the hell got into you?” She asked with a broken voice.

“Reality did, I can’t keep escaping with you pretending to be someone Im not, I’ve got to, I’ve got to face my demons, and go back to being someone, someone with an actual personality, someone, someone who is truly alive… that’s not the case right now, right now Im a dull, brooding old man, Im just hoping I can change that”

Felicity lowered her head and stepped away from him.

“I really do hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m doing what I have to do, Im doing what I know is necessary, because Felicity, I don’t feel alive, I don’t feel happy, I don’t feel joy, all there is is sorrow and pain and darkness, and I don’t want that anymore, I want freedom, so I have to let myself, choose my life”

Felicity covered her mouth trying not to cry more while he wiped away a tear.

“I don’t regret what I had with you, I never will, but… but like you said a few years ago, we have to let each other go”

Oliver said that and swallowed hard before pressing a kiss on her forehead, taking his coat and walking away, from her, from them, towards himself. As he walked away he ran the conversation over in his head, he was worried about how harsh he sounded, but he had to get straight to the point, he had to let her know the truth.

He knew shed want more answer, that she’d want to talk to him again and beg him for another chance, she would go down without a fight, but he could only hope he had made things clear.

Yet wasn’t surprised to find out he hadn’t, for the next morning John cornered him in the bunker and forced him to talk to him.

Oliver stared at the man while he lectured him.

“There you go again, pushing those you love away, punishing yourself and giving yourself excuses”

“And there you go again, pretending like you know me”

“Are you seriously gonna tell me Im wrong?”

“I don’t know John, I don’t know if that’s the real me, you haven’t given me a chance to find out!!” Oliver talked louder than what he would have liked, John frowned.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that you John, you have offered me character studies and analysis for 5 years now, and somehow, in some way, you had me believing every single one of them!!” Oliver was getting red and was breathing quickly, maybe he was a little mad.

“Oliver, all Ive done was help you!”

“Yeah. Based on what YOU think is right, you tell me what to do, or you make me feel bad about my decisions and then you SHAME me when I ignore you, you applaud me when I listen to you, John, I am who you made me and Im sorry, but I don’t like that person”

“You may think that youre doing the right thing but you’re only fooling yourself”

“Like you thought I was when I told Felicity I loved her? When I was in reality fooling Slade?”

“You agreed on that”

“Except I didn’t John! I didn’t agree! But you had me believing it, of course, why wouldn’t I? Because the whole year before, you had me convinced that she was the right girl for me, you practically told me to stop giving a damn about Laurel and just focus on Felicity!”

“What does Laurel have to do with this?”

“EVERYTHING!” Oliver snapped and that sent confused looks from Diggle.

“You never liked her being with me! You always hated the idea of us, so whenever Laurel was concerned, you made me feel like the bad guy, I saved a kid’s life and you make me believe I was bad for choosing him over your vendetta, you made me feel bad about choosing a CHILD over your own desire of vengeance, and then you say it was all about Laurel, and even if it was, she was in danger, you weren’t! Deadshot would still be there some other time, I made the right choice. And don’t even get me started on your influence on me regarding Laurel and Sebastian Blood, she was going through HELL, and because you would get mad at me I was even afraid of choosing her, and when she revealed something important, I chose to not believe her, I chose to push her away after YOU made me believe I had a weak spot for her, a weak spot that I needed to get rid of, she was right John! Sebastian Blood was a goddman traitor and she knew and I didn’t believe her! Do you know how different things would be had I listened to her? hell my mother would even be ALIVE!” He shouted with all his power.

“You made me feel ashamed about loving her John, and for that I will never forgive you, because while I was too focused on not letting you down, I let Laurel down, and I let her go down one of the darkest paths a person can ever go through” John gulped looking at the enraged man.

“You do realize that because of you, I never chose Laurel again? You do realize that I pushed her away, and not only ruined our relationship but ruined our friendship even, she’s been a friend of mine since we were kids, and YOU, you made me feel bad about choosing her. Where did that lead her? She couldn’t even stay in Star City because it was all too painful. Because I destroyed her home for her. And you know what the worst part is, I don’t know how I feel about Laurel, I don’t know if I have fully moved on, you rushed Felicity on me and I don’t know if I was ready to let Laurel go!! ”

Diggle let out a sigh. “Are you done?”

“No I am very not done John, Im sorry, I got a little carried away, this isn’t about Laurel, this is about you choosing for me, its about the fact that I haven’t been true to myself, about the fact that I have allowed people to step on me for years, and that’s the main reason Chase hurt me the way he did, THIS, this is about you determining my future. About you pretending to be the boss of me, pretending to know and to be better than me. About you making me hate the man I used to be! about you holding the reins of my life, This is about YOU thinking you get to decide for me.

You said you’d be here to remind me of who I am in case I Lost myself? Well let me tell you… you have failed at that.

Because you didn’t keep me sane, you didn’t remind me of who I was, you didn’t keep me from becoming someone else, John, you turned me into SOMETHING ELSE, someone I don’t even recognize, you pulled me away from the real me, from the people that I love and the truth is that You CANT! This is MY life, and I am sorry John, but I AM taking it back, Im taking the reins now, I AM the one in control, as I SHOULD be. I will be making the choices I think are best for me for my life, my very own decisions, not caring about your opinions and if you disagree with them, well you know damn well where the door is”

Oliver turned around and left another confused person behind.

“Oh and you can spread the message to everyone else and let them know…

That the real Oliver Queen is coming back”

John felt the colour leave his face as he stared at a very similar man walk away, a man he hadn’t seen in a while. This was the Oliver he met, so determined, so confident, and so sure of himself, he hadn’t realized it but the difference was evident. The man he had been all the past years, was an insecure, fragile, vulnerable, confused man.

As he walked he felt a brand new wave of oxygen enter his body. It was different and fresh, like if he had just come out for air after being drowning in a pool. It made him wonder how long had he been suppressing those feelings, made him wonder how long had he been lying to himself.

He had barely thought his words over, they just came out. That had to mean something. He smiled at the rush, it felt good taking control again, finally after so many years, he felt as if he had some sort of freedom, freedom to go ahead and choose his next step, make the next choice. Without being judged, without being penalized.

He stopped walking in front of a window, as he looked at himself, he saw deep into his eyes, there was a tingling sensation in his arms, the man he was becoming literally gave him chills.

“Hell yes!”

…

_What the hell is wrong with your brother?_

_Do you know what happened with Oliver?_

_Is Oliver okay?_

_What is Oliver on?_

Thea read her text messages out loud at a guilty looking Oliver leaning to a counter while he crossed his arms.

“What the hell did you do?” Thea asked him showing him her phone.

“What you told me to do” Oliver shrugged.

_Oliver just broke up with me._

She read Felicity’s text.

_Your brother just kinda fired me._

She read John’s.

“I never told you to dump Felicity and fire John” Thea protested. Oliver opened his mouth in confusion.

“No Thea you said!”

“I said that you were a product of the two, I never said get rid of them” Oliver inhaled a sharp breath and stood straight.

“So what should I, should I fix it?”

Thea rolled her eyes, “I don’t know should you?” He looked at her confused. “Well if you think it was a bad idea”

“I never said I said it was a bad idea” Thea added, which only confused him more. “What I was trying to say is that, I didn’t tell you to get rid of them, you chose that, you did that on your own, and you know why, so my question to you now is, how do you feel?”

Oliver tightened his lips and hesitated for a second.

“I feel, nervous, and yet… good” there was new light in his eyes Thea couldn’t miss out on. She smiled at him and he just stared.

“Okay then you know what you want don’t you? Do you want to go back and fix what you just did?”

Oliver shook his head slightly while Thea let in a victorious breath.

“Then it's settled” Thea spoke. “I have to admit, Im surprised, what you did was bold”

“Well then I guess Im bold” Oliver shrugged and smiled at his baby sister, he knew he had just changed his life by facing the two people that held him back, it was nerve racking really, so much could go wrong, and if it did, he’d have to face that on his own, it scared him, but it was pretty exciting as well, the future as uncertain now, there was something nice about that.

“So, does going back to your old self mean you're going back to your old habits of playboy?” Oliver gasped at that.

“Of course not Thea, when I say going back to myself I mean going back to my old self, yet adding to that a lot of what I’ve learned and fixing my past flaws. Which worries me a little, I don’t know if the people around me would love that version of me”

“Well its okay if they don’t, Ollie, once you become who you truly are, only the right people will love you”

“Hmm, I can’t help but wonder who that is” Oliver smiled.

“Don’t worry, You’ll find out soon”

…

**2 months later**

Oliver returned to the bunker and slammed the bow to the table. He slammed it out of ecstasy and excitement. Over how good the mission had gone that day. It had been like that these past 2 months, he would go out, mostly alone, and take people down easily, without anyone holding him back, he didn’t kill them though, he had designed a variety of trick arrows that made everything so much easier.

John Diggle stood on the other end of the room smiling slightly, he couldn’t help but admire the man before him. It had surprised him greatly, when Oliver confronted him the way he did. John always assumed Oliver would be the one to apologize and make amends, but for some reason, he never did.

And so it was Diggle who apologized, once he realized, everything Oliver said was indeed true. He had influenced in his decisions greatly, and there were many consequences. John gave in and told Oliver that he was sorry and that he wouldn’t do that again, it also surprised him how well Oliver took it, with a simple smile Oliver welcomed him back.

The same way with Felicity, she went to Oliver and didn’t really apologize because she hadn’t made mistakes but rather much accepted it, she accepted the truth, that she was holding him back from being the man he truly was. She learned that when she saw him after weeks and noticed his personality, all of the sudden he turned into a much lighter person, joking from time to time and smiling a lot more.

She joined him again and they went back to the team they used to be, where John and Felicity helped greatly. They all made decisions, and Oliver made sure his voice was heard, while the others made sure they listened.

Dinah and Rene left him, and Oliver didn’t even protest.

“So, what arrows did you use this time?” Felicity asked smiling, knowing very well how excited he got talking about them.

“I used the boxing glove arrow, I used the electrocuting arrow, bomb arrow, so many arrows, it was actually really fun, and now Ricardo Diaz, Cayden James and Antoly are being taken to police custody”

“Thats amazing Oliver” Diggle congratulated him with a pat on the shoulder.

Oliver smiled at him, “thank you John, and thank you too Felicity, you helped a lot” the two smiled in return.

“Alright, we gotta get ready, Barry and Iris are not going to forgive us if we are late” Felicity stood up from her chair and walked pass both Oliver and John.

“Suit up John.” Diggle let out a chuckle. “Will do” he nodded.

…

The whole wedding had gone smoothly, Barry and Iris got married, they exchanged beautiful vows, they kissed, it was all beautiful.

Oliver was grateful to see everyone again, Sara had stood mesmerised at his new persona. “You seem…”

“Happy?” Oliver questioned and only earned a shake of the head.

“Yourself” she replied, Oliver did not expect that, it froze him in place, that’s all he ever wanted.

“I just, I focused on getting everything I ever wanted” Sara nodded in understanding. “And do you, have everything you’ve ever wanted?”

Oliver cocked his head to the side.

“Almost”

He smiled at her and they ended up giving each other a hug.

Barry had also told him that he admired his energy, seeming lighter. It was true, Oliver himself could see the difference in how he talked with other people, and people would laugh and smile with him. He noticed many frowns coming from Kara.

So he now stood in a big party celebrating the newlyweds, observing how everyone was having a good time. He stared at a smiley Felicity dancing with Caitlin and Cisco. Sara flirting with Alex. John and Lyla dancing. The legends separating Mick from an almost fist fight with a stranger. He laughed at that, appreciating the simplicity of the moment.

He felt a sting when the techno music turned into a 70’s song. _How deep is your love_ by the Bee Gees. He loved that song, he and Tommy would play it in parties and they’d be forced to find a partner and dance cheek to cheek, it was all part of a plan, and Oliver always danced to it with a special someone.

His brows furrowed when he heard a screech from Sara. She was staring at something, excitedly. Someone.

Oliver followed her sight.

As a door opened and closed and the lights dimmed for the dancing of a slow song, he saw a figure. There were headlights rounding the room, and as they reflected the figure, he saw her face. A moment in which time slowed down.

Dinah Laurel Lance walked through the entrance of the great big room, he didn’t know if it were the lights, or if it was her, but she was glowing. A wide smile spread across her face as she made her way down a set of stairs, step by step, slowly. Her hair bouncing slightly every time she stepped down.

Oliver’s heart sunk and dropped to his feet. The music in the background didn’t help at all, it made it all seem, different. Life felt different. It almost felt like a dream, a fairytale.

One where Laurel, with glowing green emerald eyes and a wide smile framed by her perfect lips made her way towards Sara. It was magical really, there was something magical about her, looking so different yet so similar, Oliver recognised that woman, that… that was the woman he had once fallen in love with.

It was no surprise his eyes would de frozen in place, if they could they’d be forming a heart shape. Observing the masterpiece before him.

Oliver always admired the way Laurel walked in heels, one step in front of the other, looking so elegant and charming. Moving her figure gracefully.

His eyes were fixed on Laurel and Laurel only, the last time he saw her, she looked destroyed, broken, it had been a week after she got stabbed by Damian Darhk, her dad had a heart attack and sadly, passed away. It was all too much for her to handle, which forced her to make a decision and move away, looking for a fresh start. Oliver saw her teary eyes telling him that she couldn’t stay, that she couldn’t stay by his side. She had been pale and just looked… off.

But as the woman hugged her younger sister and held her tightly. He could now see, the light. The light she had carried her entire life. It had finally come back. And nothing made him happier.

The fist thing he noticed was her slightly darker hair, she had been full blonde the last time, yet it was now a familiar brown with a few strands of a lighter golden colour. It made her eyes pop and glow more.

The next was the physique, she seemed to be stronger, with toned arms, yet still a delicate looking figure, small waist, that he only wanted to hold in his arms.

He was brought back to reality with a hard slap from his sister besides him. “What the hell was that for?”

“You were almost drooling” Thea commented laughing. “It was for your own sake”

Oliver sighed and returned his gaze to Laurel. “Oh my God!” Thea exclaimed when she saw her. Laurel was now hugging Cisco, Felicity and Caitlin looked eager to hug her behind Cisco, but Cisco wasn’t letting go anytime soon.

“I didn’t know she’d come!” Thea jumped from the excitement. Oliver only smiled at her. His gaze was still fixed on Laurel as she made her way towards him, she had been greeting people and smiling at them all with Sara by her side.

In a simple movement, Laurel’s eyes met his. The emerald green connected with his ocean blue, and they both smiled.

Laurel’s stomach turned at the spark in his eyes, in his face. He wore a smile she hadn’t seen in a while.

He had to bite his lower lip as hi gaze followed her making her way towards him, his heat beating quickly in impatience, he just wanted her by his side. Until, finally, they were face to face. Oliver took in a deep breath. “You look beautiful”

“Thank you” Laurel replied, “you aren’t so bad yourself”

Oliver chuckled and Laurel appreciated the sound of his laugh. She moved closer to him and brought him into a hug. Oliver wasted no time in resisting and gave into her soft touch, wrapping both his arms around her slim form and breathing in her scent, Laurel squeezed harder once her head rested in his shoulder.

“I really missed you” her words echoed in his head and he couldn’t help but smile. “Not more than I did you” She chuckled at that and stayed hugging him.

“Laurel! You made it!” Barry commented breaking the two apart, Laurel’s eyes widened and went to hug Barry.

“Congratulations Barry!! I am so sorry Im late, I had a very important trial” Laurel excused herself and pulled away after the quick hug.

“Did you win it?”

“You know I did” she smiled and he did too, “well then all is forgiven” The two shared a nod and Barry went on to greet other people. Oliver saw how Thea almost tackled Laurel and he laughed at the older woman’s expression.

He looked at Thea after, who was giving him a look. He frowned at it.

“Im gonna go refill my glass, let you two catch up” Thea said and rushed away from them.

“Wow I hadn’t even payed attention to the music” Laurel commented finally noting it.

“Brings back good times doesn’t it?” Oliver asked as he tucked his hands on his pockets.

“Yeah, it was your go to song with Tommy, you’d be all like: oh no a slow song, I guess we have to dance with a lady” Laurel laughed at that remembering how painfully obvious they used to be, it was clear they just wanted a dance.

Oliver looked down smiling at the memory.

“That was Tommy’s idea” he added, Laurel nodded. “Oh trust me I know, only he had the power of being that subtle” she said sarcastically. Oliver’s smile made her cheeks sting a red colour. Oliver noticed that, making his own cheeks blush so he turned away.

Oliver inhaled sharply catching Thea’s gaze. _When you become your true self, only the right people will love you._

_(A/N: for a better experience I recommend you start playing the song: How deep is your love by the Bee Gees right now)_

He let out a laugh when he heard the song start again and noticed Thea on the DJ’s table touching the computer. He could see people complain about it but Thea didn’t care, she just increased the volume. In what seemed like a click, Oliver knew, he knew what he wanted, and for the first time in a while, he’d make a choice of his own. A choice based on what he wanted.

“It almost makes me want to dance to it again” Oliver spoke in a shy voice, Laurel turned towards him frowning.

“Ive been feeling a bit nostalgic lately and… its seems like a good idea” Oliver added with a shrug. “Its just that I haven’t danced in a while and”…;

“Get to the point Ollie” Laurel interrupted and teased him. Oliver intensified his look towards her. A piercing look that would melt Laurel time and time again, so full of charm.

“Laurel… would you dance with me?”

Laurel let out a shaky breath barely being able to believe this.Her mouth spread into a tight smile which Oliver loved. “It would be my pleasure” she agreed and took his extended hand. Oliver pulled her close to him.

Oliver let go and focused on Laurel, his hand resting on her waist, Laurel’s was on his chest. Their free hands holding each other’s. He shut his eyes while he rested his head on top of hers, letting the words of the song speak for him. Such true words.

_Cause we’re living in a world of fools._

_Breaking us down._

_When they all should let us be._

_We belong… to you and me._

Thea stared at them in the distance with pride, she had always known there was something about her, that made Oliver a better person. Everyone knew it, why had he let her go?

Laurel didn’t even notice the tears building on her eyes, There were so many things that had happened that brought them apart, it made them wonder whose fault had it truly been.

They both lost themselves and turned into different people.

_And you may not think I care for you._

Oliver hated that he had let her think he didn’t care for her.

_When you know down inside._

_That I really do._

Laurel knew. She knew now. Despite the recent years.

_And its me you need to show._

_How deep is your love._

Oliver felt a warm feeling in his chest. Wanting to freeze the picture.. Time slowed down again and he focused on only her, Laurel had that power. They swayed slowly with the rhythm of the music.

She took in the moment, his scent, his touch, his hold. A scent of wood and pine trees, a touch so warm and comforting, and a hold so secure, she felt safe in it. _This was home._

They were upgraded versions of their old selves. Laurel could feel it, she had said 5 sentences to Oliver and she could already tell, he was different than who she saw the last time.

It dawned on her that the only reason she had been able to actually leave home, was because home wasn’t home at all, not without him, and it had been a while since he felt like this, a long time since he had felt like her home, but he was here now.

Oliver knew how right this felt, he felt powerful, And in the moment while he held her close, he cursed himself for ever being so gullible, to allow people to make him think he never really loved her. Boy had they been wrong.

“Ollie” her voice came as a whisper. “What happened to you?”

Oliver only smiled widely. “I realized that, I came back from that island with a goal but fell asleep in the process of doing it”

“And now” he looked down at her with a soft look.

“Now what?” Laurel questioned.

Oliver simply shrugged.

“I woke up”

He saw how one dimple appeared on her cheek which indicated she was forming a smile, and when her smile formed he felt his heart sink again.

“So what happens now that you’re awake?”

“Well now I make my life, and fight for who and what I want” he responded moving his hand to cup her cheek, Laurel let out a breath when his hand contacted her skin.

“And what do you want?”

“To be loved by who I am, I don’t want somebody who is constantly changing me and making me into something Im not, I want someone who knows my flaws and traits, and loves me for them, not despite of them, looking back, there is only one person who has ever loved me like that… and you know damn well, that that person, has always been and will always be…

You”

Laurel kept staring at him in awe.

“You know what’s ironic? That we dream when we are asleep, and yet… my dream, _my dream comes when I wake”_

He wiped a small tear dropping from her face and gave her a sympathetic look.

“Why are you crying?”

“Ive just been waiting for this moment” Laurel smiled through the tears, “the moment in which you turn into the man… _that I always saw_ ”

“So you waited for me?”

“Of course I did, I’d always wait for you Ollie” Laurel closed the gap between them, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“And I'll always come back to you Laurel” he added wiping her tears and smiling down at her.

Laurel let out a chuckle and pulled his head closer, pressing her lips to his. Oliver shut his eyes finally feeling that rush, that energy, which only comes with being alive. His chest exploded with joy, with happiness. He pulled Laurel even closer and let himself get carried away,carried away in her touch.

They didn’t care about everyone else in the room, it was only them, kissing passionately and melting to each other.

…

“So you made a choice” Diggle commented while Oliver poured himself a glass of wine.

“I chose Laurel” Oliver affirmed. “Always her”

Diggle smirked. “Id say everybody else be damned but, Im not so sure about that” Oliver smiled with John.

“Im sorry I ever made you feel ashamed of yourself, of being who you really are, you aren’t a bad person, not in the slightest, as a matter of fact you’re even better when you’re who you want to be”

Oliver nodded. “Well John, Im happy, Ive heard its a contagious emotion” John chuckled and patted Oliver’s shoulder.

“Well that’s for sure” Diggle reassured him. With that Oliver smiled at him and walked away. He was having trouble keeping a straight face. He just couldn’t stop smiling.

“Oh my God, what is wrong with your face?” Thea stepped into his view and heard her gasp, it had been a while since she had seen him smile with so much more than his mouth.

“What do you mean?” Oliver frowned looking down at her, “there’s something, with your mouth, I think, it looks like, it's an initiative of a smile?” Oliver’s smile came back as he nodded.

“That’s cute”

“So why you grinning?”

Oliver inhaled noting the familiar words, it felt like a deja vu.

“I took your advice, on fighting for the people I want and love… with Laurel”

“And?” Thea raised her eyebrow.

“Aaand… it's working” Oliver assured her while she just smiled victorious.

“Ive got mad relationship skills bro, let me know when you need any places to propose” she joked expecting him to shake her off, but when she saw his face she was taken back, he looked serious.

“What? No ‘I think you’re getting a little ahead of yourself’ this time?” She asked remembering how this conversation had gone 5 years ago. Oliver shook his head.

“I actually think, I might hold you on to that” he told her and her eyes widened. She crossed her arms over her chest with a frown.

“You know, wise men say, only fools rush in” Oliver tightened his lips when he caught sight of Laurel laughing with Sara.

“Well then I guess I must be one hell of a fool” he gave Thea a smile and walked away from her, her face was full with shock, her eyes followed him, as he gingerly made his way towards Laurel, wrapped his arms around her waist from behind her and press a kiss to her cheek while she rocked on his hold.

Sara’s eyes connected with Thea taken back by the sudden display of affection, Thea shrugged and Sara smiled.

“So NOW you’ve got everything you wanted” she commented remembering their previous conversation.

“I guess some things never change” she didn’t have to finish that sentence for Oliver to smile at the memory.

_You and her. Always and forever._

“Im very proud of you two” she commented and left them alone. Laurel turned around to face him.

“So what happens now?”She asked him stroking his hair.

“I came to talk to you about that, Laurel, I want to be with you, I see a future with you more than I see anything with anyone else, but your life is in Gotham now. I just hope you could come back”

“Well then today must be your lucky day Queen, because I, just got fired” Oliver’s brow furrowed. “What?” He asked concerned. “I thought you said you just won a trial”

“I did, and that would be my fifth trial, that I do pro bono” Oliver couldn’t help but smile. “You got fired because you gave people free trials?”

She nodded gritting her teeth. Oliver laughed at that, “that must be the most Laurel Lance thing Ive ever heard in my life”

Laurel joined his laughter.

“And what about fighting crime as the black canary with your ally the Bat?” He questioned, Laurel shrugged.

“Well Im pretty sure Bruce has got it covered… besides, I don’t really think he and I make a good pair”

“Totally not, you go better with the green arrow” Oliver agreed smiling. Laurel chuckled at his subtle flirting.

“So does this mean… you can come back… _come back home_?”

“If you mean, go back to you… then I guess it does”

Oliver smiled widely and embraced her. She hugged him even tighter.

…

“Are you okay?” John Diggle asked a sitting Felicity Smoak.

“Because of the whole Oliver and Laurel thing you mean?” She looked at him with sad eyes while he nodded.

“Yeah, Im fine, I honestly am. it even makes me a bit happy, when you love someone, all you want is to see them happy, I thought he was happy with me, but like he said, all he was was sharing my happiness, living off my light, and being who I made him. And I just couldn’t be more proud of him, knowing he found his own happiness, his own light, and became the real him. I know this is supposed to hurt, seeing somebody you want to be with move on, and be happier without you, but, for some reason, it comforts me… to know that Oliver, that our Oliver, the real one, is finally back. And come on, it is no surprise he’d eventually go back to Laurel, to his gorgeous Laurel, it's in his blood.”

Diggle smiled sadly at her and gave her a hug.

As the night came to its end, everyone found themselves saying goodbye, congratulating the newlyweds.

While Oliver fetched his coat and Laurel stood waiting for him, Thea joined him. Oliver smiled at her simply.

“Thank you Thea”

“For what?”

Oliver took a deep breath.

“For waking me up”

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you thought of this in the comments! Thanks for reading!!


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